Leanne’s food blog
I want to welcome Leanne Vogel as she is the power behind the food blog Healthful Pursuit. Leanne is sharing with us a gluten and dairy free dessert bar recipe that is sure to please any palate, while these “Flirty Raspberry Fig Bars” look like a perfect Valentines Day tasty treat. Leanne’s blog highlights recipes that are dairy, gluten, corn, and yeast free, challenging her healthy cooking techniques without sacrificing flavor. Join me in welcoming Leanne as we follow in her journey to wellness!
Leanne of Healthful Pursuit
Please join me in welcoming Leanne, of Healthful Pursuit!
About Leanne
Hello, fabulous CCR readers! This is Leanne from Healthful Pursuit, and I’m honored to be doing a guest post for the fantastically inspiring, and talented, Chef Ryan!
I’m a Holistic Nutritionist with a passion for creating tasty whole foods and allergen free recipes that contribute to a happy and healthy lifestyle. Just because a recipe is healthy, doesn’t mean it has to taste like cardboard. I’m a firm believer that healthy can be delicious, tantalizing, and satisfying, and that’s what Healthful Pursuit is all about!
I hope you enjoy the Flirty Raspberry Fig Bars I’ve prepared for all of you. They’re made with fresh fruit preserve, minimal sugar, and are gluten & dairy free to boot! Best part? You won’t even know they’re good for you. Mm-mm-mm
The Recipe
Flirty Raspberry Fig Bars
Ingredients
Preserve:
- 6 dried figs, stems removed, chopped
- ¾ cup fresh or fresh raspberries
- ¼ cup apple juice
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Crust:
- 2 ¼ cup finely ground blanched almond flour
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sucanat sugar – you can also use brown sugar
Topping:
- 1 egg white
- ¾ cup finely ground blanched almond flour
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp agave nectar
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- Pinch salt
Directions
- Line a 9×9 square pan with parchment paper by cutting parchment paper lengthwise to fit, allowing the parchment paper to drape over the 2 sides. Oil remaining 2 sides with a dab of coconut oil. Preheat oven to 350F.
- Combine all preserve ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Once complete, remove from heat and blend in a blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.
- Place all crust ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
- Press crust dough into prepared pan and cook for 12-15 minutes until golden.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all topping ingredients except egg whites. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, with a hand mixer, whip egg whites until white and frothy. Set aside.
- Remove crust from oven and spread preserve over top while still hot.
- Then, spread frothed egg white, top with almond topping.
- Place back in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden [mine took 19 minutes].
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 1hr before cutting into bars.
Makes 16 bars.
Flirty Raspberry Fig Bars
I want to thank Leanne for sharing this wonderful gluten and dairy free dessert bar treat! A perfect Valentines Day dessert for the loved ones in your family!
CCR
=:~)
©2011 CCR
Tags: Baking · Desserts · Gluten Free · Guest Blog Post · Recipes
Irena’s food blog
I want to introduce you to Irena of “My Wandering Spoon”. Irena’s food blog features many great treats, including children oriented cooking featuring her “All about kids” section, and she also includes a section devoted to baking. I am looking forward to the recipe Irena is sharing which introduces us to new dough she has created. I love the fact that this dough and recipe is 100% gluten free!
Irena of My Wandering Spoon
Please join me in welcoming Irena, of My Wandering Spoon!
About Irena
I am a mom, wife, certified nutrition and wellness consultant and foodie. I made my first bread when I was 14. My love for food, cooking, fresh ingredients, nutrition, writing, blogging, coaching and healthy lifestyle which I’m pursuing for my family and friends is growing every day. I have a great passion for baking, inventing new recipes and finding wonderful, easy and delicious gluten free, allergen free and nutritious healthy meal ideas.
I hope everybody will like and find interesting Amaranth Cups with Rhubarb Pecan Filling.
The Recipe
Amaranth Cups with Rhubarb Pecan Filling
I am constantly experimenting and trying to make new dough, good one, which will taste wonderful and will have great texture too.
I am very pleased with this recipe how it came out because it is versatile, gluten free and absolutely delicious.
Everybody can enjoy this brilliant dessert.
Dough is made from two types of flour: Amaranth and Sweet Rice flour.
Amaranth flour is gluten free flour, contains fiber and iron, it is a good source of calcium and is high in protein. Sweet rice flour adds lightness and texture to gluten free baked goods.
For the filling I used rhubarb and pecans.
Makes 14 mini cups
| Ingredients |
| 5 |
Stalks |
Rhubarb, chopped |
| 1 |
Each |
Juice squeezed from fresh orange or lemon |
| 1 |
Cup |
Light brown sugar |
| 1 |
Tsp |
Vanilla sugar |
| 1/3 |
Cup |
Pecans, ground |
| 1/3 |
Cup |
Amaranth flour |
| 1 |
Cup |
Sweet rice flour |
| ¼ |
Cup |
Sweet cream butter, cold, cut into little chunks |
| ¼ |
Cup |
Water, cold |
| Procedure Steps |
| 1. |
On the medium heat, using a large pot, add cut rhubarb, sugar and juice from the orange or lemon (whatever you prefer more). Bring to a boil and cook for an additional 8 minutes or until sugar starts to caramelize. When mixture has cooled down add ground pecans. Mix and set aside. |
| 2. |
Using a stand mixer combine the amaranth and sweet rice flour. Slowly add the cold butter chunks. When dough starts to form add just a tiny bit of water until dough is completely formed, not too sticky. |
| 3. |
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Using a non stick cupcake pan, use your hands to start forming the dough around the inside wall and bottom of the cupcake molds, making a hole in the middle of the dough to form a cup. Bake the cups for 8 minutes. |
| 4. |
Stuff the cups with rhubarb pecan mixture. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. |
Amaranth Cups with Rhubarb Pecan Filling
You can enjoy this lovely dessert warm or leave them covered on the room temperature up to 2 days.
Bon Appetit!!
Nutrition facts –1 mini cup
Cal 90, cal from fat19, dietary fiber 5%, cholesterol 1%, protein 4g.
I want to thank Irena for sharing this wonderful gluten free dessert treat!
Cajun Chef Ryan
=:~)
©2011 CCR
Tags: Baking · Gluten Free · Guest Blog Post
February 2nd, 2011 · 5 Comments
Salmon Cakes with Braised Slaw and Pace Picante Sauce
One of the benefits of belonging to the Foodbuzz Featured Publishers is you get opportunities to join other fun stuff such as the Tastemaker program.
I was delighted to participate in the Pace Picante Sauce Tastemaker challenge and came up with this recipe that is quite unique I think.
The Pace Picante sauce for this recipe was provided to me for free from the Tastemaker partner Pace Picante sauce.
TIP: When you have made your salmon cakes in step 2, you can test a small spoonful in the hot skillet first to see if they will hold up. Temperature and humidity may affect the way the cakes stay together, so be sure to adjust the moisture or breadcrumb content if they are not sticking together. Too dry, add more egg or milk, too wet, add more breadcrumbs.
| Ingredients |
| For the salmon cakes |
| 1/2 |
Cup |
Mashed potatoes, from Yukon Gold potatoes |
| 1 |
Cup |
Salmon, cooked, flaked, or about ½ pound |
| 1 |
Tbsp |
Green onions, chopped |
| 1 |
Tbsp |
Garlic, minced |
| ½ |
Tbsp |
Creole mustard |
| 1 |
Tbsp |
Fresh parsley, chopped |
| ½ |
Tbsp |
Cajun Spice Blend |
| ½ |
Tbsp |
Fresh lemon juice |
| 2 |
Lg. |
Eggs, beaten |
| 2 |
Tbsp |
Milk |
| ½ |
Cup |
Seasoned bread crumbs |
| To taste |
Salt and white pepper |
| As required |
Olive oil |
| For the braised slaw |
| 8 |
Cups |
Shredded green cabbage mix |
| ½ |
Cup |
Red wine vinegar |
| 1 |
Cup |
Filtered water |
| To taste |
Salt and white pepper |
| For the Sauce |
| 1 |
Cup |
Pace Picante Sauce |
| Procedure Steps: |
| 1. |
Take the first eleven ingredients for the salmon cake and place them into the bowl of a food processor and combine for about 15 to 20 seconds, or until a uniform consistency. Turn out into a large bowl and season to taste with the salt and white pepper. |
| 2. |
Shape the salmon cake mixture into four even cakes of uniform shape. Cover and chill. |
| 3. |
In the meantime, combine the shredded cabbage, red wine vinegar and water and bring to boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. |
| 4. |
Heat a skillet over a high heat and add a portion of olive oil, when oil is hot add the salmon cakes and sauté on each side for about four to five minutes or until browned. Transfer to a paper towel lined platter and hold in a 170° oven until ready to serve. |
| 5. |
Portion out one cup of braised cabbage, then top with one salmon cake, and ¼ cup of the Pace Picante sauce |
Salmon Cakes with Braised Slaw and Pace Picante Sauce
Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2011 CCR
Tags: Recipes · Seafood
Spoils from the garden
Growing your own garden in your own back yard, homesteading for a sustainable future. The Dervaes family give inspiration for attaining similar goals.
Grow your own vegetables, herbs, fruits?
One of the joys of gardening for me is getting my hands dirty, touching the soil, turning it over, planting the seeds, watching them grow, then harvesting and eating the fruits of my labor.
I tend my crops as if they were my little children, putting them to bed, feeding them, giving them a warm cozy home to live in, guiding them to the right direction, supporting them when they need it, and allowing them to grow and mature into the ripe delicious beings they deserve to be!
I have been following the Urban Homestead – Path to Freedom by the Dervaes family for just about a year now, and the inspiration for my own homestead continues in regular intervals, and today this one was shared on Facebook, and what a motivation.
Fresh from the garden tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant
With thoughts of plot expansion dancing in my head for the past week or so, and a recent seed purchase at the local hardware, my spring planting plans are slowing getting put down into pencil and paper, actually pixels on the screen. Never underestimate the power of a pencil, measure twice cut once ring a bell for all you carpenter types?
With another doubling expansion of the plot sizes this year, I hope to grow tomatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, lettuces, peppers, okra, artichokes, blueberries, raspberries, plums, carrots, pumpkins, sunflower, all the herbs from last year including spearmint, peppermint, basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic chives, chives, cilantro, and others.
Today the folks at Urban Homestead shared this video and it just goes to show you that with just 3,000 square feet of garden space, you can grow enough food for your family, and enough left over to bring in another $20,000 a year in sales to local chefs.
Talk about a low carbon footprint, their food travels an average of 100 feet from farm to table, and they generate most of their own electricity from solar arrays. Their monthly electric bill is about $12.00, and they brew their own bio-diesel fuel to energize their vehicle.
All organic farming methods, the Dervaes family has something like 200+ varieties of vegetables, herbs, and edibles.
Clay pot irrigation, another inspiring technique the Dervaes family taught me several months ago from their web site, check them out and the great video too!
Here is the inspirational video that was put up by SoCal Connected:
Homesteading…one neighborly plot at a time!
Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2011 CCR
Tags: Sustainability
